Youth Policy Advocacy Dialogue (YPAD)
The Youth Policy Advocacy Dialogue (YPAD) was a collaborative initiative by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the School of Leadership Foundation (SoLF) in 2024, aimed at empowering young voices in policymaking across Pakistan. Bringing together over 369 youth participants, YPAD provided a platform for meaningful discussions, enabling young leaders to directly engage with government representatives, policymakers, and key stakeholders to shape youth-centric policies.
Key Focus Areas
The dialogues focused on critical themes impacting youth development, including:- Education & Skills Development – Access to quality education, vocational training, and modernized curricula.
- Economic Empowerment – Entrepreneurship support, financial inclusion, and employment opportunities.
- Health & Well-being – Mental health awareness, reproductive health services, and substance abuse prevention.
- Gender Equality & Inclusion – Women’s leadership, gender-sensitive policies, and safe public spaces.
- Climate Action & Sustainability – Environmental education, disaster preparedness, and green entrepreneurship.
Impact & Achievements
- Policy-Maker Engagement – Policymakers acknowledged and appreciated the youth’s active participation and dedication, challenging the misconception that young people are disengaged.
- Youth-Government Dialogue – Participants actively engaged with decision-makers, voicing their concerns and proposing solutions, creating a direct bridge between youth aspirations and governance.
- Policy Recommendations Developed – After in-depth discussions with policymakers, the youth had the opportunity to sit together, draft concrete policy recommendations, and refine their proposals based on expert input. These recommendations have now been officially forwarded to relevant government bodies for consideration and implementation.
- Commitment to Action – The initiative has strengthened youth participation in governance, creating a collaborative approach to inclusive policymaking.
The Policy Research Challenge (PRC) 2023-2024
The Policy Research Challenge (PRC) 2023-2024 introduced by UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA functioned within the Generation Unlimited framework. With a focus on empowering young people in Pakistan to become partners in innovation, the PRC works to improve research skills and encourage active participation for sustainable impacts beyond 2030. The initiative specifically targets climate change, involving participants in action research, critical policy evaluation, gap identification, and mobilizing a wide range of stakeholders for inclusive solutions.
Achievements:
- Provided grants of up to PKR 150,000 to all 10 adolescent teams to conduct research and formulate policy statements over 2 months.
- Based on the merit of their proposals, provided grants of PKR 500,000 to 6 teams in the youth category for similar research and policy formulation tasks.
- Extended mentorship to 16 winners (10 adolescents and 6 youths) during research process.
- Provided participants the opportunity to present their policy research statements at a roundtable conference, where they engaged with climate stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
National Youth Council
Supporting the mission of NYDF, the National Youth Council 2021-23 is an official youth platform, with the Prime Minister of Pakistan as its Patron-in-Chief. The NYC, composed of exemplary and driven individuals from all regions of the country, will collectively provide a forum to young people in Pakistan to highlight the challenges faced by them and connect them to relevant stakeholders and policy makers to advance the pro youth development agenda.
The project aimed to represent and advocate for young people aged 15 to 29 in Pakistan. It provided a platform for youth engagement with public and private sector decision-makers, as well as international initiatives. The project addressed policy and institutional gaps, promoted youth development and empowerment, and supported government institutions at all levels in creating and assessing youth-based programs. It also focused on advancing the national youth development framework by integrating young people into policymaking processes.
Achievements:
The NYC members with the assistance of legal expert developed the following documents in 2021:- Institutionalization and Legal Framework for NYC. This document was developed so that the NYC shall be insulated from any external influences, political meddling, and being used as the personal strong arm of a political party assuming the governing charge.
- SRHR for Youth Policy Draft.
- Policy draft for Mainstreaming of Marginalized Youth.
- Consortium of Youth Based/Youth-led Organizations.
- Policy draft on Youth Employment and Economic Empowerment which includes strategies to increase female participation in the job market.
- Policy Draft for Social Protection of Youth.
Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge 3.0 - Acceleration Phase
The Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge is a flagship holistic social entrepreneurship and youth
engagement initiative that tackles skill-building, employability, and social impact while building
confidence and empowerment among the most marginalized young people globally. It is designed to
engage marginalized youth as creators of solutions to the challenges that they face in their lives in the areas of education, skills, employment and empowerment.
In the third year of youth challenge in Pakistan, creative ideas and solutions from young people age (14- 24) under the challenge name, “Elevating Lives of people and the Planet” were welcomed in support of two broad categories.
In the third year of youth challenge in Pakistan, creative ideas and solutions from young people age (14- 24) under the challenge name, “Elevating Lives of people and the Planet” were welcomed in support of two broad categories.
- Elevating lives of People – Ideas and platforms that develop capacity and build resilience among young people.
- Elevating the Planet by addressing threats posed by climate change
The Youth Challenge welcomed ideas from young people for Climate change mitigation and adaptation that goes beyond tree plantation drives and includes nature-based approaches for impact. Innovative ideas especially those that integrate technology for scalability will are encouraged under the sub-thematic components mentioned below.
- Solid Waste Management
- Sustainable Energy
- Water and Sanitation
- Clean and Green Environment
Achievements:
The Youth Challenge 3.0, launched in Pakistan on December 10, 2021, successfully engaged young innovators across the country, receiving 256 submissions focused on societal change and climate action. Following a rigorous selection process, 11 youth teams participated in a hands-on bootcamp, where they refined their ideas through design thinking and prototyping sessions. Five teams advanced to the incubation phase, where they developed their projects further with targeted mentorship. Ultimately, two teams, Braille Designer from Sindh and Intelligence Technology (INT Tech) from Balochistan, were selected for the global judging process. The INT Tech team achieved significant success, becoming one of the top 12 youth teams globally and advancing to the acceleration phase of the challenge, marking a milestone for Pakistani youth on the international stage.
Client: UNICEF
Geographical Spread: Quetta
Duration: 12 Months
Geographical Spread: Quetta
Duration: 12 Months
Women Initiatives in Entrepreneurship (WISE)
UNDP Pakistan and Jazz launched the Women Initiatives in Social Entrepreneurship (WISE). This transformative program empowers women social entrepreneurs, especially from rural areas, by enhancing their skills and supporting their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. WISE aims to broaden the reach of women-led enterprises, thereby fostering a more balanced ecosystem. The initiative includes a four-day interactive learning experience and follow-up mentoring sessions to ensure the growth and sustainability of these enterprises. SOLF created a network of 432 women social entrepreneurs, working towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals through 13 Bootcamps.
The project aimed to create a network of 432 women social entrepreneurs focused on achieving Sustainable Development Goals through a series of 13 bootcamps. It sought to equip participants from rural and peri-urban areas with essential entrepreneurial skills and help them develop Social Business Model Canvases. The program included mentoring opportunities tailored to the specific learning needs of participants.
Achievements:
Key deliverables included the development of a comprehensive training manual and workbook with seven in-depth modules, training five trainers to lead the bootcamps, and implementing a robust outreach strategy to ensure nationwide participation. The outreach involved 31 sessions, engaging 1,889 women across various venues. The 13 bootcamps successfully trained 432 women, with follow-up mentoring sessions for ongoing support. Additionally, industry experts provided one-on-one mentoring to the winning teams from each bootcamp, offering targeted guidance for their social enterprises.
Client: UNDP
Geographical Spread: Nationwide
Duration: 7 Months
Geographical Spread: Nationwide
Duration: 7 Months
Health & Well Being Youth Innovation Challenge
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the Health and Wellbeing Youth Innovation Challenge 2022, for innovation in community based on Reproductive Health and Rights (RHR) interventions. The challenge focuses on Youth Empowerment which can be defined as a process where people gain the ability to make informed decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people. It is a means of encouraging young people to do great things for themselves and also have a positive impact on society.
Achievements:
A total of 88 teams submitted the application for the challenge out of which five youth-led innovative solutions from underdeveloped areas of Pakistan were selected to be part of the Innovation Challenge. Out of these five, a further three teams qualified for the seed money, to fund the initial aspects of their ideas. The five teams had attended a 3-days Design Thinking Bootcamp in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Bootcamp was focused on improving the suggested solutions and reframing the impact statement by researching the key stakeholders and diving deep into the causes and symptoms of the problem the teams are trying to solve.
Client: UNFPA
Geographical Spread: Nationwide
Geographical Spread: Nationwide